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NIV is used unless otherwise noted.

Out of Season

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of
season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful
instruction.

The
faithful flowers are responding to the unseasonably warm weather we are
experiencing this year.That they are
out of season doesn’t deter them.They
just keep popping open in beautiful splendor.

I’ve
often wondered why Jesus cursed a fig tree for not bearing figs when it wasn’t
even the season for figs.Although the
passage in Mark 11:12-14 can be taken symbolically, it also has a practical
side. Looking at the facts, Jesus is hungry.He is looking for food.The tree
is full of leaves.He expects figs to be
on the tree.There are none.It is not the season for figs.

So
why does Jesus expect figs on the fig tree when they aren’t in season?Like my flowering plants, the fig leaves had
come out earlier than usual. Since the tree was full of leaves, it should have
produced at least some figs.There were
none.The fig tree was not fulfilling
its God-ordained purpose for existence, bearing figs for nourishment.

Unlike
the fig tree, the spring flowers were bursting forth as God had created them to
do, regardless of the season.

Paul
encourages us in 2 Timothy 4:2 to be ready in season and out of season to share
the nourishing Word with the spiritually hungry.I find it easier to be ready in season -
prepared to teach a class or speak or write.I like to know what I am going to share ahead of time.I am very uncomfortable on the spur of the
moment.But God is faithful.The more I draw close to Him, the more He
prepares me to fulfill His purpose for my life.